Courage and political maturity is necessary for this fight

At a crucial juncture in the fight against Covid-19, it is vital that good governance is restored among all stakeholders in the body politic to ensure public confidence is maintained in our policy making process

Taoiseach Micheál Martin's government finds itself in an unenviable position. File picture: Julien Behal 

While there is mixed reaction on the merits of the decision not to take Nphet’s advice to move to level five, of immediate and more serious concern is the apparent discord between our public health experts and the Government.

Criticism of Nphet is nothing new as witnessed over recent weeks where public health advice to Government has been questioned by a wide range of interest groups which in itself further erodes public confidence in public policy.